Sports
Curling

B.C., Manitoba take Travelers titles

British Columbia skip Bart Sawyer’s team won the province its first Travelers Curling Club Championship on Saturday at Cataraqui Golf and Country Club.

Sawyer’s team from the Nanaimo Curling Centre used a five count in the third end to ice away Manitoba in a final that ended after seven ends, 7-3 for B.C.

The women’s title went to Manitoba, skipped by Stacey Fordyce of Brandon. It, too, was a shorter game, ending after six ends when Alberta, down 11-3, conceded.

The week-long championship, structured for curlers who can’t have played recently in other national championships such as the Brier or Scotties, was declared a huge success by Sawyer.

“I can’t say enough to the Travelers, everybody here. It is the best event I have been to,” Sawyer said. “This is the club curlers' Brier. It’s awesome.”

Sawyer’s rink finished first in its pool with a 5-1 record. The only loss came 5-4 to Newfoundland and Labrador’s Andrew Symonds.

The teams met again in the semifinals Friday night and B.C. took a 5-2 win.

In Saturday’s final, Sawyer was down 1-0 after two ends, but with last-rock advantage in the third, used a couple of double takeouts to set up the five count.

After that, the best hitting team of the competition didn’t leave Manitoba’s Mark Anderson much to work with.

“The boys played so well. We got a big lead early and did a real good job of pealing,” said Sawyer who had Steve Waatainen, Craig Burton and Keith Clarke on his team.

Sawyer said he was proud to be the first B.C. team to win the Travelers. It was his team’s first exposure to the Travelers, and the magnitude of the event struck his team in the first game against Saskatchewan.

“It is such an experience that you can’t explain it until you are here,” Sawyer said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had such shaky slides. Once the first game with the nerves was over, I think we all calmed down and got back into a rhythm."

In the men’s bronze medal game, John Mryglod of Calmar, Alta., downed Newfoundland and Labrador, 10-4. It was another game that did not go the full eight ends.

Fordyce, with third Christy Erickson, second Stacey Irwin and lead Pam Gouldie, were dominant in the women’s division. They won seven of eight games.

Up against former champion Nanette Dupont of Lethbridge in the final, the Brandon team counted two in the first and stole another two in the second.

The chase was on after that for Alberta. Dupont scored two in the third, but Fordyce got those two right back in the fourth to go up 6-2. A steal of five by Manitoba in the fifth put the game well out of reach.